The NJ man who shot two Atlantic City officers was paroled after decades behind bars

⚠️  Police identify the man who shot Atlantic City officers as 52-year-old Donald Gardner.

➡️ Officials said Gardner wounded two officers before being killed by return gunfire.

🔴 Records show decades of prison time tied to homicide, drug, weapons convictions.

ATLANTIC CITY — An ex-convict who wounded two Atlantic City police officers before being killed by returning fire on Tuesday had a lengthy criminal past, including a previous police shooting that left him paralyzed.

State officials on Wednesday identified the gunman as Atlantic City resident Donald Gardner, whose rap sheet included killing a friend over three decades ago.

The 52-year-old was also known to police by the aliases of Donald L Capriotti, Donald Jeffries and Donald Thomas.

Authorities ID gunman in Atlantic City police shooting

Gardner began shooting Tuesday afternoon as two Atlantic City officers arrived with an arrest warrant at his North Florida Avenue residence.

He critically wounded Sgt. Christian Ivanov, according to a fundraiser for the officer’s family, and also hit a second officer, before Officer Robert Reynolds returned fire and killed Gardner, state authorities said on Wednesday.

Read More: NJ community rallies for wounded Atlantic City Police Sergeant 

Decades of prison time were served before Tuesday's deadly confrontation

Before Tuesday’s violent and deadly eruption in Atlantic City, Gardner had spent decades of his life behind bars.

Gardner served nearly 20 years for a 1992 aggravated manslaughter and was paroled in May 2012, Breaking AC reported.

He was then partially paralyzed the following year in a police-involved shooting in Egg Harbor Township as he was being arrested and charged for illegal drug and weapons possession.

In 2014, Gardner was sentenced to 18 years after he pleaded guilty to having a large amount of cocaine and an assault weapon at home with his then-wife.

He was paroled in late October 2023 but was arrested again last year on new drug charges.

As of Wednesday, Ivanov’s condition had improved to serious but stable, authorities said.

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